Photoprinting system



Aug. l0, 1954 J. L. ROBINS PHOTOPRINTING SYSTEM Filed March 30, 1953 u zNVENToR if, face d. 20e/v5 BY 1 X 1l. 44 7 l tzorwe J Patented Aug. 10, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE PHOTOPRINTING SYSTEM J ackL. Robins, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 30, 1953, Serial No. 345,512

5 Claims. l

'This invention relates to a lphoto printing system and more particularly to a novel phototyping machine useful for photo offset and other photographic printing processes.

Present day photographic printing processes usually employ a typesetting machine which ejects metal slugs or individual pieces of letter type which a makeup man puts into page form The type slugs are usually separated with suitable spacers to t the composition line between the given margins and thereby provide even left and right hand margins. From the composition page form there is then made at least one copy which is photographed and the negative used to `make the nal printing plates. Actually all that is needed to make the final plate is a single copy of the printed page for photographing. Much work has been undertaken therefore to provide a means for eliminating the slug typesetting process step and attempting to arrange the letters in properly spaced relationship initially on the single composition copy.

The present invention has for its primary object to provide a machine which furnishes a proof phototypographically, thereby eliminating the slug typesetting process step. The time saved alone is a distinct advantage of the present invention since the characters to be reproduced in a desired composition can be of any convenient size for accurately determining the proper letter spacing in the composition. Furthermore, the proper marginal spacing is also effected.

Another object is to provide a machine of this nature which is extremely simple to operate and which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

These and further objects of the invention are attained by providing a screen'having parallel marginal lines which may be arbitrarily spaced to any desired width. A plate is secured to the screen but movable in any direction with respect to the screen. The composition to be phototypographed is placed on this plate and the iirst line of letters or symbols, as the case may be, is oriented to t between the marginal lines by suitable tilting of the plate. An indexing line disposed parallel to the two marginal lines and movable between the marginal lines is mounted adjacent the front surface of the screen. This indexing line includes an extension arm xed to an automatic or manually operable means for moving the indexing line from one margin to the other in a controlled manner.

The moving mechanism comprises aflat surface on Which'a photographic film is placed. The

film is covered by a suitable plate having a single aperture therein and a light source disposed above the aperture. Letters or symbols are provided in any suitable sizes and are arranged to be interposed between the light source and the aperture to expose the photographic lm to the particular symbol selected. Thus the line of the composition on the screen which is fitted between the two marginal lines is duplicated by placing corresponding letters between the light source and the aperture when the indexing line is moved to pass through the center of the letter in the composition line. The photographic lm is moved under the aperture along with the indexing line and is stopped at a position properly spaced from its previous position as determined by the position at which the index line intersects the next letter on the composition line.

Provision is made for also moving the ilm in a direction perpendicular to the previously mentioned direction in order that several lines of composition may be reproduced on the lm.

A clearer understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View of one form of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is an elevational sectional View as seen along the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section as seen along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of the invention partly in schematic form as comprising a base frame member IG provided with a hinged `cover plate I I. Secured to the cover plate I I is a light source housing I2 having an aperture I3 at its lower end. Beneath the aperture I3 and throughout the longitudinal length of the cover plate l I there is provided a recess i4 adapted to slidingly receive a transparent slide member i5 having all of the letters of the alphabet or any other suitable symbols scribed thereon. The arrangement is such that any one of the letters or symbols may be positioned under the aperture I3 so as to be placed between the light source within housing EE and a photographic nlm I6 disposed beneath the cover plate I i. The lm IG may be moved longitudinally with respect to the 'base frame IG and cover plate II by means of a'crank Il to remove exposed portions of the film under the aperture I3 and move unexposed portions thereunder.

In order to determine the proper extent of movement of the lm I6 there is rigidly secured to the lm moving means as by an extension arm I8, an indexing line I3. The indexing line I9 is adapted to lie parallel to the surface of a screen 20. Screen 2t is provided with movable plates 2| and 22 defining left and right hand margins 23 and 24 on the screen. The width of these margins W may be adjusted by sliding the longitudinal slots 25 and 26 in the plate 2| for example along the projections 2l and 28. 'I'he screen 20 is disposed so that the marginal lines 23 and 24 are parallel to the indexing line I 3 and is rigidly secured as by a brace member 29 at its lower end to an inner frame member Within the base frame I to be described subsequently. The screen may thus be moved towards or away from the base frame I by means of a crank 30.

The composition to be phototypographed is secured to a plate member 3| and a single line thereof is arranged to iit exactly between the marginal lines 23 and 24 on the screen 2t. This is accomplished by suitable tilting of the plate 3| until the respective ends of the line just touch the marginal lines. For the sake of simplicity in the drawing only a single line comprising three words has been shown.

Any suitable means may be used for securing the plate 3i to the back of the screen 2) in the desired position. For example a temporary adhesive means may be used or the edges of the plate 3| may be magnetized so that they will adhere to the margin defining plates 2i and 22.

Referring to Fig. 2 the rear end wall 32 of the base frame I0 is apertured at 33 and 34 to slidingly receive the extension arm I8 and screen supporting brace 23. Since the indexing line I9 and extension arm I8 move longitudinally relative to the frame i0 and cover plate I I, the aperture 33 comprises a longitudinal slot extending the entire length of the rear end wall 32. The slot 34 however need only accommodate inward and outward movement of the screen 23 as depicted by the phantom line. The inner end of the supporting brace 23 is secured to an inner frame 35 adapted to slide to the left or right as seen in Fig. 2 using the cover plate I I and floor 33 of the base frame I0 as guides. This motion is accomplished by means of a screw 3l mounted in a suitable sleeve 38 secured to the base frame I0, the screw being threaded into a traveling nut 33 secured to the inner frame 35.

The right hand side wall of the inner frame 35 is provided with an aperture 40 at its upper end to receive the extension arm i3. The inner end of the extension arm I 8 is rigidly secured to a telescoping frame 4I slidable longitudinally Within the frame 35. As shown in Fig. 3 the telescoping frame 4I is moved longitudinally with respect to the base frame IE! by means of a screw 42 rotatable by the handle Il and received by a traveling nut 43 in the right hand end wall 44 of the telescoping frame. The photographic film I6 is mounted on top of the telescoping frame 4I as shown. The cranks 30 and I'I thus permit any portion of the surface of film IE to be positioned under the aperture I3.

As shown in Fig. 1 the slide I5 includes two rows of letters; the top row, for example, being capital letters while the next row comprises small letters shown as being upside down and backwards. This arrangement permits the slide I to be removed from the groove I4 and reinserted from the other end in order to place small letters under the aperture I3.

In the operation of the machine, assume it is desired to phototypograph a composition. The marginal plates 2| and 22 on the screen 20 are adjusted to a width W desired in the nal phototypograph of the composition. The composition is xed to the plate 3| shown in Fig. 1. The first line of the composition is then fitted between the margins 23 and 24 dened by the plates 2| and 22 respectively, by suitable tilting and positioning of the plate 3|. If this line is longer than the width W, the plate 3| is tilted until the extreme ends of the line just fit exactly between the margins. It will be noted that the composition is placed on the plate 3| upside down. The reason for this will become clear as the description of the operation proceeds.

The phototypographing process is accomplished by alining the indexing line I9 so that it passes through the center of the first letter of the first word in the line. In the example shown, the composition line isithree words consisting of TO BUY THE. Since T is the first letter of the line the indexing line I9 is positioned by means of the crank IT to intersect this letter. The corresponding letter T is then found on the slide I5 and positioned under the aperture I3 by sliding the slide I5 along the recess I4. With the capital letter T properly positioned under the aperture I3 the light within the light source I2 is turned on to expose the photographic film I6 under the cover plate I I to this letter. The light is then turned off and the crank I1 turned to move the film I6 to the left and place an unexposed portion under the aperture I3. The distance moved will be determined when the indexing line I9 which moves with the lm, just intersects the next letter O. 'I'he letter O on the slide I5 is then positioned under the aperture I3 and the nlm I 6 again exposed as before. This process is continued by moving the indexing line I3 from the marginal line 24 completely across the screen to the marginal line 23 photographing each of the individual letters as described.

It will be appreciated at once that the marginal lines on the photographic paper I5 are exactly separated by the width W and the composition line TO BUY THE will be precisely spaced between these two margins. Since the lm is moved to the left, the phototypographed line will read from left to right when completed.

To phototypograph the next line a readjustment is made in the plate 3| to t that line exactly between the margins 23, 24 and the crank 30 is turned a given amount as determined by the amount of spacing between the lines desired. Turning of the crank 30 will move the iilm IE towards the screen thereby moving the first eX- posed line on the lm out from under the aperture I3. The crank I 'I is also moved to bring the indexing line I9 back to the right hand margin 24 and the phototypographing process is repeated with the next line.

Since each composition line is individually adjusted by suitable tilting of the plate 3| to t exactly between the set margins 23 and 24, and since the crank 30 is turned an equal number of units each time thereby equally spacing the lines on the photographic lm, there results a perfect reproduction of the composition on the photographic film with both left and right hand margins perfectly straight. Furthermore the spacing between the letters in any one line and the words in that one line will be respectively uniform.

The developed photograph I6 may then be used in a photolithographic process for making nal type.

It is thus seen that by means of the present invention I have eliminated the time consuming and complicated step of setting up slug types properly spaced in order to insure both left and right hand even margins.

Various modifications of the present machine will occur to those skilled in the ai't. For example an automatic means may be employed for moving the film l5 in the longitudinal or transverse direction rather than the manual crank means shown. Furthermore, the aperture and light source may be moved by the film movingT means, and the film held stationary. This reversal in the relative movements would permit the composition line on screen to read properly rather than upside down as shown. In addition, suitable lens systems may be used with the light source in order to adjust the size of the image of the symbol projected onto the photographie paper I6.

These and further modifications within the spirit of the present invention will readily occur to persons using the present machine. The apparatus is therefore not to be thought of as limited to the present embodiment disclosed.

claim:

l. A phototyping apparatus comprising: a photographic lm; a light source; means for interposing symbols between said nlm and light source to permit at least one symbol to be photographed on the film; rst means for eiecting relative movement between said film and said light source in a rst direction to bring unexposed nlm under said source; second means to effect relative movement between said nlm and said light source in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a screen member having two parallel margins adjustable in width; a plate on said screen including a composition line, said plate being tiltable to permit said line to be fitted exactly between said margins; and an indexing line parallel to and movable between said margins by said rst moving means.

2. in a phototyping machine for producing on a photographic film a composition in which the characters are spaced between beginning and end margins of a desired width, the combination comprising: a screen having two parallel margin lines adjustable in width; a plate cn the screen carrying at least one line oi said composition; means for tilting said plate with respect to the screen to permit said line to be fitted exactly between said margins; an indexing line parallel to and movable between said margins including an extension arm; a surface for supporting said photographic nlm secured to said extension arm; a stationary light source; and a series of symbols movable between said light source and nlm whereby at least one of said symbols can be photographed on the film and the lm then moved along with said indexing line to place an unexposed portion under said light source for photographing another symbol properly spaced from the rst symbol.

3. A machine according to claim 2 in which the spacing of said photographed symbols on the nlm is determined by the movement of the indexing line between adjacent symbols in said plate composition line.

ll. A machine according to claim 2 including means for moving said lm in a direction at right angles with respect to the direction of said iirst mentioned movement.

5. In a phototyping machine for reproducing a composition copy on a photographic nlm, the combination comprising: a pair of margin defining lines separated by the desired line length for the composition; means for adjusting each composition copy line to t between said margin lines by tilting the composition copy line with respect thereto; an indexing means movable between said margins and adapted to be centered on each symbol of said composition line; means for positioning, in accordance with the position of said indexing line, corresponding symbols; and means to photograph said corresponding symbols.

No references cited. 

